The topic I have chosen for this wiki entry is Abyssal plains. According to Edward J. Tarbuck and Frederick K. Lutgens (2012), “Abyssal plains are deep, incredibly flat features. These regions are likely the most level places on Earth. Abyssal plains are very level area of deep-ocean floor, usually lying at the foot of the continental rise. Abyssal Plains occur in all oceans.”(p. 389)
Summary:
In the Article, Abyssal Plains(2008): "Abyssal plains are sediment-covered portions of the deep ocean floor. Abyssal plains occur at depths greater than 2,000 meters below sea level .Abyssal Plains are underlain by oceanic crust composed of basalt, a dark colored volcanic rock rich in iron- and magnesium-silicate minerals. The basalt is covered by layers of sediment deposited by deep ocean turbidity currents. The basalt is also covered by the shells of marine plants and animals that have fallen down from the ocean's upper levels. A combination of both can cover the basalt. The other minor components of abyssal plain sediment include wind-blown dust, volcanic ash, chemical precipitates, and occasional meteorite fragments. Only a fraction of the 15 billion tons of clay, silt, sand, and gravel that is washed into the oceans each year reaches the abyssal plains. The amount of biological sediment that reaches the bottom of the abyssal plains is very small. The rate of sediment accumulation on the abyssal plains is low. In many areas less than an inch of sediment accumulates per thousand years. The slow rate of sediment accumulation and the flat topography that abyssal plains possess were once thought to be stable and unchanging environments"(Abyssal Plains). Here is an image of the abyssal plains. Chiasson, John(2013)
According to Abyssal Plains(2012): ”Abyssal Plains are the flattest areas on Earth. They have surface slopes of less than one foot of elevation difference for each thousand feet of horizontal distance. Turbidity currents carry large amounts of sediment being transported from continental slopes to abyssal plains".
Tabuck and Lutgen stated in Earth Science (2012) "that the Atlantic Ocean has the most extensive abyssal plains because it has few trenches to act as traps for sediment carried down the continental slope"(389).
According to the Abyssal Plains (2012), “Abyssal Plains are more common and widespread in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins than in the Pacific, but are found in all major ocean basins. 40% of Earth's ocean floor is covered by abyssal plains. Abyssal plains are often littered with manganese nodules containing varying amounts of iron, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The nodules form by direct precipitation of minerals from the seawater onto a bone or rock fragment".
According to Abyssal Plains(2012),“Abyssal plains does not support abundant aquatic life, but deep sea dredges have collected specimens of unusual fish, worms, and clam-like creatures from these depths”. There is more to the environment of the Abyssal plain than there seems.
What is an Abyssal Plain reported (2012):
”The abyssal plain environment is not conducive to life as we know it; it is perpetually dark and very cold, and the food supply is sparse. The Hydrostatic pressure is enough to crush a person’s body to the size of a soccer ball. Since the abyssal plains has an abscene of sunlight no plant life exists. The animals that primarily occupy the abyssal plains are small worms, crustaceans, and mollusks. These types of animals are called scavengers. Scavengers live off bacteria on the seafloor and fecal pellets, bones, carcasses of large animals, and dissolved material that filters down the water column. Population densities are low owing to a harsh environment and scarcity of food”.
This is a diagram of the Abyssal plains. This diagram was directly in the article of What is an Abyssal Plain.
(What is an Abyssal Plain-2013)
In the Article What is an Abyssal Plain:
“The Abyssal plains are depositional surfaces on the seafloors of the world’s oceans. The plain are normally 13,000 to 20,000 ft extending seaward from the base of a continental slope or from the seaward edge of an oceanic trench to the mid ocean ridge. The abyssal plain is notable for its sediments, manganese nodules, and life forms. Much of the abyssal plain consists of tiny particles of brown and red clays, contributed to the ocean by wind deposition and volcanic eruptions. The shells of microscopic marine organisms also make up a significant portion of the sediments".
In the Article What is an Abyssal Plain:
“Turbidity currents move the sediments from the shelf to the plain. Turbidities also spread farther out on the plain. They are less abundant in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, because fewer large rivers supply sediments to the Pacific Ocean and its deep-sea trenches trap sediments, preventing their spread to the abyssal plain”.
(What is an Abyssal Plain-2013) In the article what is an Abyssal Plain the photo is described as: “These mysterious, potato-size rocks litter the surface. They have thin concentric layers of metals such as iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese. Chemical reactions in the water add layers that are 0.4 to 8 in (10 to 200 mm) thick every million years”.
Here is a video on a summary of the Abyssal Plain:This YouTube video is titled The Abyssal Plains uploaded by Spencer Breland. He did a project on the Abyssal Plains and this is his what he found about the Abyssal Plains:
(The Abyssal Plains-2012) Here is a video describing the typical day of activities happening in the Abyssal plains. It shows what animals are involved in it. This YouTube video is called
Bathysnap time-lapse Porcupine Abyssal Plain uploaded by NOCSnews.
Work Cited
Tarbuck, E. J., & Lutgens, F. K. (2012). Chapter 13: The Ocean Floor. Earth science (13th ed., p. 389). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson.
Topic:
The topic I have chosen for this wiki entry is Abyssal plains. According to Edward J. Tarbuck and Frederick K. Lutgens (2012), “Abyssal plains are deep, incredibly flat features. These regions are likely the most level places on Earth. Abyssal plains are very level area of deep-ocean floor, usually lying at the foot of the continental rise. Abyssal Plains occur in all oceans.”(p. 389)Summary:
In the Article, Abyssal Plains(2008):"Abyssal plains are sediment-covered portions of the deep ocean floor. Abyssal plains occur at depths greater than 2,000 meters below sea level .Abyssal Plains are underlain by oceanic crust composed of basalt, a dark colored volcanic rock rich in iron- and magnesium-silicate minerals. The basalt is covered by layers of sediment deposited by deep ocean turbidity currents. The basalt is also covered by the shells of marine plants and animals that have fallen down from the ocean's upper levels. A combination of both can cover the basalt. The other minor components of abyssal plain sediment include wind-blown dust, volcanic ash, chemical precipitates, and occasional meteorite fragments. Only a fraction of the 15 billion tons of clay, silt, sand, and gravel that is washed into the oceans each year reaches the abyssal plains. The amount of biological sediment that reaches the bottom of the abyssal plains is very small. The rate of sediment accumulation on the abyssal plains is low. In many areas less than an inch of sediment accumulates per thousand years. The slow rate of sediment accumulation and the flat topography that abyssal plains possess were once thought to be stable and unchanging environments"(Abyssal Plains).
Here is an image of the abyssal plains.
Chiasson, John(2013)
According to Abyssal Plains(2012):
”Abyssal Plains are the flattest areas on Earth. They have surface slopes of less than one foot of elevation difference for each thousand feet of horizontal distance. Turbidity currents carry large amounts of sediment being transported from continental slopes to abyssal plains".
Tabuck and Lutgen stated in Earth Science (2012) "that the Atlantic Ocean has the most extensive abyssal plains because it has few trenches to act as traps for sediment carried down the continental slope"(389).
According to the Abyssal Plains (2012), “Abyssal Plains are more common and widespread in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins than in the Pacific, but are found in all major ocean basins. 40% of Earth's ocean floor is covered by abyssal plains. Abyssal plains are often littered with manganese nodules containing varying amounts of iron, nickel, cobalt, and copper. The nodules form by direct precipitation of minerals from the seawater onto a bone or rock fragment".
According to Abyssal Plains(2012),“Abyssal plains does not support abundant aquatic life, but deep sea dredges have collected specimens of unusual fish, worms, and clam-like creatures from these depths”. There is more to the environment of the Abyssal plain than there seems.
What is an Abyssal Plain reported (2012):
”The abyssal plain environment is not conducive to life as we know it; it is perpetually dark and very cold, and the food supply is sparse. The Hydrostatic pressure is enough to crush a person’s body to the size of a soccer ball. Since the abyssal plains has an abscene of sunlight no plant life exists. The animals that primarily occupy the abyssal plains are small worms, crustaceans, and mollusks. These types of animals are called scavengers. Scavengers live off bacteria on the seafloor and fecal pellets, bones, carcasses of large animals, and dissolved material that filters down the water column. Population densities are low owing to a harsh environment and scarcity of food”.
This is a diagram of the Abyssal plains. This diagram was directly in the article of What is an Abyssal Plain.
(What is an Abyssal Plain-2013)
In the Article What is an Abyssal Plain:
“The Abyssal plains are depositional surfaces on the seafloors of the world’s oceans. The plain are normally 13,000 to 20,000 ft extending seaward from the base of a continental slope or from the seaward edge of an oceanic trench to the mid ocean ridge. The abyssal plain is notable for its sediments, manganese nodules, and life forms. Much of the abyssal plain consists of tiny particles of brown and red clays, contributed to the ocean by wind deposition and volcanic eruptions. The shells of microscopic marine organisms also make up a significant portion of the sediments".
In the Article What is an Abyssal Plain:
“Turbidity currents move the sediments from the shelf to the plain. Turbidities also spread farther out on the plain. They are less abundant in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, because fewer large rivers supply sediments to the Pacific Ocean and its deep-sea trenches trap sediments, preventing their spread to the abyssal plain”.
(What is an Abyssal Plain-2013)
In the article what is an Abyssal Plain the photo is described as: “These mysterious, potato-size rocks litter the surface. They have thin concentric layers of metals such as iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, and manganese. Chemical reactions in the water add layers that are 0.4 to 8 in (10 to 200 mm) thick every million years”.
Here is a video on a summary of the Abyssal Plain:This YouTube video is titled The Abyssal Plains uploaded by Spencer Breland. He did a project on the Abyssal Plains and this is his what he found about the Abyssal Plains:
(The Abyssal Plains-2012)
Here is a video describing the typical day of activities happening in the Abyssal plains. It shows what animals are involved in it. This YouTube video is called
Bathysnap time-lapse Porcupine Abyssal Plain uploaded by NOCSnews.
(Bathysnap time-lapse Porcupine Abyssal Plain-2013)
Work Cited
Tarbuck, E. J., & Lutgens, F. K. (2012). Chapter 13: The Ocean Floor. Earth science (13th ed., p. 389). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson.
The Abyssal Plains. (2012, February 5). YouTube. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwTtMrKV1DA
What is Abyssal Plain. (n.d.). Article Most Wanted. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.articlemostwanted.com/2013/04/what-is-abyssal-plain.html
Abyssal plain. (2008). In K. L. Lerner & B. W. Lerner (Eds.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (4th ed.). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=SCIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV2644030006&userGroupName=mlin_m_nnorth&jsid=54307024f0cf960743357490bff53b39
Chiasson, John. Can We Bury Our CO2 Problem in the Ocean? 1987. How Stuff Works. Josh Clark. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
NOCSnews. (2013, May 24).
Bathysnap time-lapse Porcupine Abyssal Plain. YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZmF8-Wudu4
Kunal Patel